Brandon woman ‘drumming’ up support for backyard chickens

A Brandon woman determined to feed her family with healthy, locally-produced foods is leading the charge to allow backyard chickens in the city limits.

“I’ve been trying to eat healthier, and just knowing where my food is coming from,” is what led Shannon (Minihan) Olson, 26, to explore the idea locally.

While the idea of allowing backyard chickens for single-family dwellings within city limits is not new, the concept hasn’t made it past Brandon’s Planning & Zoning Commission in prior attempts.

Bryan Read, Brandon city administrator, said the idea has come before the P&Z two to three times in the last three to four years.

“They just don’t think it’s appropriate; livestock needs to be out in the country, not in the city,” Read said.

The current city ordinance prohibits any livestock from being raised for normal agricultural purposes, which includes hogs, cattle, sheep, horses, and of course, chickens.

Read said the last time the idea was brought forth was approximately two years ago when Sioux Falls adopted their ordinance. Neighboring Valley Springs adopted a similar ordinance two years ago, and City Clerk Sandy Severtson said there have been no issues or complaints on backyard chickens since the Commission allowed them. Under their ordinance, up to six chickens are permitted in city limits. No roosters are allowed in either community, and Valley Springs currently has chicken coops in three backyards, Severtson said.

Despite prior attempts by others, Olson said she’s not discouraged.

“I feel like Brandon tries to be a progressive town and that people think of it as being an agriculture thing, but it’s not really a symbol of agriculture anymore, it’s more of a symbol of progressive towns and cities,” she said.

Olson plans to address the P&Z Commission next month, and hopes to gain public support via the Brandon for Backyard Chickens Facebook page. Last month, the Facebook page had approximately 70 followers.

In researching the topic, Olson explored similar ordinances in Yankton and Aberdeen. The Yankton ordinance allows up to six chickens, while Aberdeen permits eight to 12 chickens, depending on the lot size.

“Just because it’s been voted down so many times in Brandon, we would probably start small, like six chickens,” Olson said. “As I was reading the Aberdeen ordinance, they had it laid out really well, things like how you have to keep it clean, be sure that everything is kept safe, rodent-free, that kind of thing.”

She also learned in her research that it hasn’t been determined if backyard chickens have a negative impact on property values. The Sioux Empire Realtors Association told Olson there have been minimal complaints since backyard chickens were allowed in Sioux Falls, and that there are no statistics that show they would de-value a neighbor’s property, she added.

“I was doing some research on that and some of the concerns mentioned were smell, noise and then again, the agriculture idea,” she said. “I think getting it out there that it’s not really a symbol of going back, that it’s progression and going with the times,” she said. “Noise was kind of the big one that got me because I used to live in an apartment in Brandon, and there was this dog that would bark all the time, and I’d think, ‘Man, if they just had some chickens in their backyard instead of a dog, it would be so much quieter because when the sun goes down, they’re (chickens) typically quiet.’ ”

Most backyard chicken ordinances do not allow roosters, largely for noise reasons.

“I think that’s a good idea because really, essentially it’s the eggs and the fertilizer is the main deal for everyone. I don’t think you have to have the roosters present because chicks are fairly cheap,” she said.

Some communities across the U.S., such as Austin, Texas, encourage backyard chicken coops for a variety of reasons.

“My mom (Val Minihan) found that the city of Austin will reimburse you up to $75 of your coop costs because they want to avoid having food waste in the landfills so they are encouraging it. They even have classes throughout the year on how to start up backyard chickens and how to raise them.”

Olson also discovered that backyard chickens are allowed in Orlando and Los Angeles, too.

“We had chickens growing up on the farm, and we had cattle and we had pigs, and boy, the cattle and the pigs out-ranked those chickens,” said Olson’s mother, Val Minihan. “The thing with chickens is that you can actually use the fertilizer for gardens. It’s well-sought after because it’s a well-known source of fertilizer for a garden.”

The daily production of fresh eggs is the obvious benefit, Olson said. Chickens typically produce one egg a day, so selling eggs for a profit wouldn’t be likely.

“In a lot of the places I’ve looked, it’s not legal to sell the eggs, so it’s just mainly for yourself,” Olson said.

Minihan said she sees another benefit from backyard chickens.

“I think it’s a great educational opportunity for children. When our kids were little we had 4-H rabbits, and that was such a great opportunity for them to learn responsibility for taking care of an animal, and to learn about the different types of rabbits, so I think chickens would be the same. We had friends with chickens in 4-H, so if you can have 4-H rabbits, why not chickens,” Minihan said.